1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communications, and more particularly, to techniques for processing a reference signal in a wireless communications system.
2. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. These wireless systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems.
Wireless communication systems are generally designed to provide wireless access to a network (e.g., Internet) for multiple mobile stations within a geographic region. Access is provided by an access points, or base station, serving the geographic region. A base station is an apparatus having a radio transceiver to support a wireless access protocol (i.e., radio-based communication link) with multiple mobile stations. The wireless access protocol is generally defined by an industry standard that includes, among other things, the multiple-access system used by the base station to communicate with the mobile stations.
A base station is generally designed to serve a cell within the wireless communications systems. In many such systems, the cell is divided into multiple sectors. Typically, a base station deployed in one of these cells may have several transceivers that allow it to serve each section with a different antenna, or a different arrangement of antenna elements. With this configuration, a base station can form a directional beam to cover each sector of the cell, thereby reducing interference to mobile devices in neighboring cells. A typical base station is configured to serve three sectors with each antenna, or each arrangement of antenna elements, providing a 120° of coverage for one of the sectors.
A base station serving a cell generally broadcasts a reference signal in each sector. The reference signal, which is sometimes referred to as a pilot signal, a beacon, or the like, is a known signal that is used by the mobile stations for synchronization, equalization, channel estimation, and/or other purposes. In these systems, efficient methods are needed for distinguishing the reference signals broadcast within the different sectors while conserving valuable channel resources.